1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, a print control method, and a computer program and, more particularly, the invention is suitable when it is used to input electronic data which is different every original into a data area of electronic data which is common to a plurality of originals and to execute printing.
2. Description of the Related Art
Use of what is called a variable print system is increasing in recent years owing to development of an electrophotographic printing technique. According to the variable print system, for example, electronic data of a portion which is common to a plurality of originals (original documents) and electronic data of portions which differ in the respective originals are separately held and the electronic data of the portion common to the plurality of originals and the electronic data of the portions which differ in the respective originals are combined upon printing, thereby forming a print original.
By such a method, a plurality of originals in which most of contents of the respective originals are identical and only contents of the partial portions are different can be efficiently printed. Therefore, resources which are used in a printing process can be reduced.
For example, in the case where direct mail of a guidance for attendance at a lecture in a cram school having a plurality of branch classes is printed according to an inquiry from the customer, electronic data which is common to a plurality of cram schools is selected as electronic data of contents of a curriculum disclosed in the direct mail. On the other hand, electronic data of an address near an address of the customer among addresses of the branch classes is selected as electronic data of the open branch class. A technique in which the selected two electronic data are combined and a print original which has been optimized according to a request of the customer is formed and printed has been proposed (refer to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-254782).
In recent years, in the case of using the variable print system, there is often used such a form that the client who requests a print shop to print gives electronic data of a portion which is common to each original and a table of electronic data of portions which differ in the respective originals to the print shop and requests the print shop to print. In the following description, the electronic data of the portion which is common to each original is called a “template” as necessary, the electronic data of the portions which differ in the respective originals is called a “record” as necessary, and the table of the electronic data of the portions which differ in the respective originals is called a “variable data” as necessary.
The number of cases where the print shop receives a contract for work up to processes after the printing (hereinbelow, also referred to as post-printing processes) in order to provide further convenience to the client is increasing. As post-printing processes, for example, a booklet, an insertion into an envelope, a packing, a delivery, and the like can be mentioned. The client who requests the print shop to execute the work up to the post-printing processes designates time of completion of all of the post-printing processes and requests the print shop to print. Further, when the client requests the print shop to print, he designates the variable data. For example, there is a case where addresses of the customers of the client are designated as variable data. However, the client cannot presume the time when the customer's address is changed due to a house-moving of the customer or the like. For example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-254782 mentioned above, such a change in customer's address is not considered. Therefore, if the address recorded at the time of the print request differs from the address printed at the time of the print completion, there is a possibility that printed matter whose transmission has been requested by the client cannot reach the customer. There is also a case where data such as stock price, exchange, or the like which changes momentarily is designated as variable data. In the case where such data which changes momentarily is designated as variable data, it is desired that contents of each record of the variable data can be changed even after the printing was requested.
There is also a case where the post-printing processes differ depending on the contents of each record of the variable data. For example, if addresses of delivery destinations are included in the contents of the records, the post-printing process become a process for mounting delivery matter (printed matter) into a distribution route truck corresponding to each address. In such a case, departure time of the corresponding distribution route truck differs depending on the address shown in the record.
From the above description, time when the client decides the contents of each record ought to be different every record also in consideration of the processes after the printing. However, according to the related art, since nothing is considered about the post-printing processes of each record, all records are decided at the same time and the printing is requested and there is, consequently, such a problem that it is difficult to cope with the foregoing data change.
The invention is made in consideration of such problems and it is an object of the invention that when electronic data which differs in respective originals is input into electronic data which is common to a plurality of originals and printing is executed, print start time is decided on an original unit basis in consideration of post-processing time.